As a critical step in ending overfishing and rebuilding sustainable fish populations in the Gulf, the GRN is calling on the Gulf Council and NMFS to develop and enact effective bycatch regulations as part of long-term ecosystem management. The regulations must include the following guidelines:

• All managed fisheries must develop bycatch estimates.
• Bycatch estimates must take into consideration species that are thrown overboard because they are too small or are out of season as well as those that are discarded because they have no value.
• Bycatch estimates must include all commercial and recreational types of fishing gear.
• All efforts to estimate bycatch must be peer-reviewed.
• Bycatch estimates must by fully incorporated into management decisions, including calculations of yearly total allowable catch.

Please support our efforts by signing your organization onto these bycatch principles.   View them here 39.61 Kb